Sand Blossom
by Kiraichi
Summary: Sakura goes to the Wind Country to cure a fatal virus known as the Shukaku Curse Virus! Later Gaara saves her from some drunks and gets a little surprise in return. Could Gaara develop feelings for Sakura? Does he even know how...
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: The following story is by no means based on the characters that I created. That credit goes to Kishimoto Masashi. Bow to his genius! But nag at him for not putting Naruto and Hinata together yet. It's common sense people! Enjoy.

Sand Blossom

The sound of screaming women and starving children could pierce through a soundproof window here in the Wind Country. Recently an epidemic has been spreading, costing the lives of 25 citizens and 4 ninja. It first begins with boiling skin… a rash over some distinct part of your body… one week of agonizing pain that spreads through your body's veins and arteries affecting the heart and lungs, making every heartbeat and breath of life a new painful experience… and finally… the heart collapses in on itself and the victim dies. These are the symptoms and results of the Shukaku Curse Virus, implied by the medical unit of the Wind Country for its terrifying effects.

One lone ninja has been sent to the Wind Country to counter this virus and defeat it with the latest in medical advances by the Nara Clan of the Hidden Leaf Village. She alone stands between Death and plans to put a stop to his murderous rampage. Sakura Haruno of Konoha has come to help the citizens of the Wind Country. Sakura is a girl of 15, has been studying to be a medical nin for two years and a half so far and her skills are about to pay off. Her appearance greatly differs from her usual attire; she wears a special anti-bacterial suit that covers her whole body except her face. The suit is white with a Konoha insignia on the back along with her clan symbol on the front next to a medic symbol. The suits' manufacturing was her idea, it used a small percentage of chakra in order to fend off disease and the face was unmasked in order to keep a friendly face visible when working with patients. She was indeed beautiful for her age, and her strength alone was unsurpassable only by her mentor and maybe other higher ranked shinobi.

Sakura quietly made her way through the village of Tatsumaki, the center of the virus's presence. The sandy wind blew against her medium cut pink hair as she looked side to side at the poor people who were weakened and in despair by the beginning effects of the virus as it slowly spread through their bodies. "Well, I guess I better get started. One vaccine at a time." Sakura entered the nearest home and looked around cautiously. The lights were out. The dishes from about 4 days ago were not done and accumulating roaches. The sun shone slightly through the shades and into the corner of the room where a young mother and her child were curled up against the wall. Sakura calmly stepped towards them, noticing their frightened reaction when they saw her. "It's okay. I'm here to he-…" Her boot hit something on the ground as she walked. One look down and she quickly covered her mouth and muffled a short scream. The supposed husband and father lay across the floor, unrecognizable in appearance for his face was already rotting from a week's worth of being dead. Sakura could not let the rest of the family see it but her tears of fright and pity fell to the ground, one by one evaporating the heat of the day. Regaining her senses, Sakura continued forward and stretched out her hand with the vaccine ((in the form of an injection)) to the mother and spoke softly to cover her fear, "Take this intravenously, and then do the same for your son." The woman took it slowly from Sakura's white glove, for a moment her hand was visible in the sunlight… her skin was already boiling. Sakura nodded and stepped backwards out of the house and closed the door behind her. Once outside, Sakura fell on her knees and grabbed her head to control herself. "Oh Kami… how horrible." she gasped, every breath being shorter than the last. The tears soon stopped and Sakura knew what to expect from the rest of her mission. She was ready for the worst. To cope with terrifying situations as fast as they came was part of her job, of her life as a medical kunoichi.

The next cases were not as frightening as her first though. She administered the vaccine to the people in the streets who were too fatigued to go home, and sometimes they gave her an address to visit of a family who had also been affected by the disease. Sakura gladly visited said places and cured whomever she could find. About 3'oclock came and her work was only half done. "A quick snack and its back to work." Climbing up into a tree, Sakura took out a bento box and ate the small meal that Shizune had prepared for her. All of them were certain herbs to fend off bacteria and any sicknesses she may have contracted from the different patients, making it seem like a big medicinal meal. She sighed lazily as she picked up another herb leaf with her chopsticks, "Oy… what I wouldn't give for some ramen." She paused. "Oohggrrrr… That lousy Naruto is getting into my head! You idiot!!" There a rustle in the tree from above her, "Hm? Hey who's there?" There was no answer, just some leaves falling from the branches. Sakura finished her food and jumped down to the ground taking one last look at the tree. Nothing suspicious, so she prepared to go back to the village. **_rustle rustle _**This time Sakura turned around and threw a kunai right at the tree, landing squarely above a person who just happened to be sitting at the foot of the tree. "You weren't there before. What do you want?"

The scent of gin and vodka filled the air almost immediately, obviously radiating off the man's clothes. He got up, sliding his back against the tree and wobbled towards Sakura a few steps, "Heeeyy thereee. You must be that hot nin who's handing out vaccines to the currr-sed people."

Sakura took some precautionary steps away from the drunk and zipped up the rest of her medic suit. "Hey listen here girly… my pallys and I have been real miserable lately. Too many pretty girls with the virus nowadays so there is no fun to be had anywhere." As he spoke in his slurry speech, three other drunks came from around the perimeter of the tree, two wobbling forward while the third one circled behind Sakura. The drunk slowly slid a kunai out of his pocket and placed it in his hand to hold it firmly, "Right, so you're coming with us."

Sakura rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth as she turned around to leave, "Sorry drunk guy, but I've got plenty of people to take care of. Too many cases to cure to go anywhere. So if you'll excuse me." Sakura took two steps forward and then the drunk with the kunai was already next to her holding the kunai to her neck. "Come on Pink Hair, don't be stubborn." His eyes trailed from the kunai down Sakura's body and to her shoes. He then leaned his head to the side and took a long deep breath as he smelled Sakura's hair.

Sakura's eyes blinked and her gaze fixed itself on the drunk. "Heard of something called elbow room?" Before the drunk could answer, Sakura's elbow suddenly flew out and crashed against the side of his face. SNAP CRACLE AND POP were only three of the distinguishable sounds that the drunks face made as his body flew into the nearby tree with such force that the tree was uprooted and fell over. The other drunks followed basic instincts and ran away in wobbling steps and trips as they ran into the bushes and into the village. "Annoying drunk." Sakura stretched out her shoulders and headed to the next house to check for more victims of the virus.

In the shadows of the fallen tree and the disfigured drunk, there was a dark figure watching… waiting. He kept his eyes closed as his third eye looked around and saw the carnage left by the medical nin. A smile curled up on his face showing small fang like canines and an almost evil grin of either amusement or interest in the subject at hand.

Sunset was coming and it was getting harder to see for Sakura to finish up her vaccination rounds. A hand held flare could only last for so long, but she was almost done, "I only have two vaccinations left, better find two lucky people and go back home to get more." Her last two patients were a Sand ninja and a field worker she found working in the mill. "At this time of day?" Sakura had asked. The worker answered, "My life is to end soon because of this virus, I might as well work off my debt to society in my final days." Sakura smiled at the poor man and was proud to give him a vaccination and send him home. _It does my heart good to find good people like him. It makes it all worthwhile. _

Sakura cleaned herself up and ate another bento box for the night journey home. There was a safe village outside of the Wind Country where she would sleep the night until morning when she'd head back to Konoha. Some of the villagers bid her farewell as she left the village; she was too tired now to jump into the trees and speed away, so she just kept walking at a calm pace.

Along the road she noticed something odd. She looked around a bit and found a tree with a whole in it. She recognized that tree…… from the last two times she had passed it! _A genjutsu?! _Sakura clapped her hands together and made a Tiger seal, "Release!" The tree disappeared along with the entire landscape, at least the one she had been following. Now there were a new set of trees and bushes all around her. "Now who performed that jutsu?" There was a rumbling from the ground bellow her and suddenly, a set of hands pulled her knee deep into the ground keeping their grasp on her even though she struggled. "What the?" she looked down and tried to pull her legs out but no use. She looked up and a sappy liquid wrapped itself around her fists and arms incapacitating her movement except for her head and upper body. "Oh no! I—can't—move!"

"Of course you can't. It's my Syrup Capture Field jutsu." An annoyingly familiar voice like that cannot be forgotten. Sakura looked up in dismay to find that the drunk guy from earlier was still alive. Her eyes bulged, "You're a ninja?" The drunk's friends soon joined him as he started slurring again, "Of course! I'm just off duty most of the time so I can find pretty girls like you and take advantage of them." His face was terribly swollen, a couple of teeth were missing, and his eye looked lopsided, all the more horrible to look at now. Sakura struggled to move inside the sappy syrup, "You—are—sick! Seriously! Get some help!" The drunken ninja staggered towards her and leaned down close to her face and lifted her chin up, "Don't worry Pink Hair, you are a medical nin, you are going to help me. Heh heh heh."

The ground begins to shake… it shifts… it changes from dirt to grains… how ominous. The drunk nin looks down and around and barely notices the sand beginning to lift itself around his hostage's body. The sand engulfs her in a frenzy creating a perfect cocoon. "Hey! What gives! Come out here !" The drunk nin attacked the shell with his kunai but its no use, he then hears the muffled and terrified screams behind him and then the sound of crushing bodies. He held still and felt the cold sweat run down his face as he anticipated the person who was waiting for him to turn around. Heart beating faster and faster his adrenaline suddenly neutralizes his drunken state and he has a sense of balance to maintain. He slowly turned around to see the assailant who has just killed his former partners in crime… "Oh ."

Inside the cocoon, Sakura felt her legs freed inside the sand, the sap around her body had also been taken apart by sand particles and her hands freed from bondage. _What just happened? What is this cocoon? What's with the sand?_ From the outside comes forth a spine tingling scream as high pitched as it could get followed by a crushing silence, "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRHHHHHHHH---------------!!!!" Sakura's blood has run cold by this time, her heart racing…… _Am I going to die too?_

The sand cocoon began to waver, turning soft and unbalanced. It melted away and a heavy dust filled the air blocking the moonlight from showing. "Wh-Who's out there?" Sakura crawled from out of the sand and got back on her feet, her fists up and ready to defend herself against whatever comes her way. "You can relax." A deep calm yet growling voice called from the dust, "I'm an ally."

"If you are an ally, then show yourself!" Sakura was not very convinced and her fists tightened as she molded her chakra to deliver a powerful punch. The dust was clearing now and a faint figure became visible in the forest. He had……red hair, a black buttoned up matrix style jacket that reached down to his ankles, black boots, and a white vest across his chest and left shoulder. His skin was as pale as the moon, his eyes affected by insomnia and his head bore the famed insignia of kanji. Sakura recognized him as Gaara of the Desert.

"Gaara!" Sakura's worries disappeared. The Sand Village has been an ally to the Leaf Village since the Chunnin Exams. In fact the Sand Village invaded Konoha once upon a time, but realized that they had been manipulated into war by the Sound Village, thereby their actions were pardoned. ((sort of)) Sakura ran up to Gaara and gave him a respectful bow. "Thank you! I was in a big jam there so you really saved me!"

Gaara's sand armor hid his inner emotions so he didn't smile much, but he accepted Sakura's gratitude nonetheless. "I have actually been following you all day, watching you help the villagers. Tatsumaki owes you a great deal for your help. Helping you deal with these fools was the least I could do." Sakura remembered the drunks from before and looked around for them, "Actually, um… where are they?" She knew she didn't want to know the answer but it was too late to take back the question. Gaara silently pointed to one of four piles of red sand that surrounded them, "Dead." Sakura made a small gasp when she saw the bloody results, but she kept her opinions to herself, "Oh… lovely." Before losing her balance, Sakura snapped back and faced Gaara who was starring t her curiously, _What's with this woman?_

"Um! Uh… okay Gaara, well thank you so much for helping me out. But now I have this uneasy feeling that I should repay you for helping me out." Sakura looked down at the sand and spun her boot in a small circle while folding her arms behind her back. "There really is no need to repay me. I was only repaying you for helping the villagers, your debt is paid." Gaara turns around and starts to leaf, some of the sand reconfiguring into his gourd. Sakura looked up and watched him slowly move farther away…_Why do I feel like this…I can't just let him leave… _

Sakura quit her dilly dullying and caught up with Gaara before he got too far away, a boldness filled her and she quickly turned Gaara's head slightly towards her. Gaara was almost ready to attack thinking that she was trying to nap his neck or something, when he suddenly froze. Sakura held him still as she gently placed a sweet kiss against Gaara's cheek. Sakura blushed uncontrollably as she backed away and turned to the side to hide from Gaara's frozen gaze. "Well………thank you." At once Sakura leapt into the trees and disappeared into the night. Gaara couldn't move. For a guy whom had never had any type of emotion expressed towards him much less a kiss, this was really confusing for him. _What is this feeling? What... What was that? What did she just…?_

Gaara ran his hands through his hair, pondering and pondering what had just happened. _What was that? An emotion? What?? _ The Shukaku demon inside of his body sent a shockwave to his brain. The evil spirit which ate away at Gaara's being was getting annoyed and Gaara knew it. **_Don't question yourself! Emotions are for the weak!_** _Says you!_ Gaara blocked out that dark part of his mind and took deep breaths; he felt sweat dripping off his head. _I have never felt like this. I've never felt like killing is not enough. But… she… she did something… _He leapt into the trees and left the village. He panted as he jumped from tree to tree, forcing himself not to pass out from forcing his demon from knocking him out.

In the Hidden Sand Village, there was an apartment owned by Kankuro, Gaara's brother. His black attire was a must, but surprisingly he kept his hat and face paint off at night. Go figure. He sat in the middle of his room tinkering with Karasu, one of his puppets that he used in battle. Kankuro was a Puppet Master, specializing in the puppetry of people or his favorite puppets Karasu and Kuroari. "There, that should do it." As he finished tinkering with Karasu's head he placed it down gently and narrowed his eyes, noticing that there was someone outside his window. He connected his chakra lines to his puppets and prepared to attack.

"Kankuro." A low voice called to him from the other side of the room. Immediately Kankuro made a quick jump and dropped his puppets.

"Whoa! Gaara! Don't do that! You know that freaks me out!" Kankuro flailed his arms around wildly shaking off how tense his body was at the moment. Gaara seemed to make a gesture with his face that would have been more significant had he any eyebrows to make gestures with, but nonetheless he stayed true to his objective.

"Kankuro I have something serious to ask you, and I need you to give me as much information as you can." Gaara's stern face shone. Kankuro sat down with his legs crossed in front of Gaara, and tried to straighten his attitude. "Okay, shoot."

Gaara made an uneasy movement with his eyes, shifting a bit but not losing his focus. "I need to know what this is." Gaara, knelt forward, his sand armor hiding a glint of blush in his cheeks as he drew ever closer to Kankuro's face with his lips at the ready. Awkward moment, stop! Kankuro's hand almost immediately flew out and stopped Gaara's face from getting any closer, "O-kay bro! I think I can get the gist of it!" Gaara calmly leaned back and sat back down, his face still clueless as to what he had done. Kankuro wiped the sweat off his head and relaxed himself into his sitting position.

"Alright, Gaara, I think what you were going for there was a kiss." Kankuro got that over with nice and quick. Gaara turned his head slightly in curiosity.

"What is it? What does it mean?" Gaara established the best questions to find out why his head was bothering him.

"Eeh? Whoa, hmm…… 'What is it?' Ummm… It's hard to explain Gaara. Hold on a minute, backtrack here what exactly happened this afternoon? Did you see someone do it? Was it Temari?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara remembered the earlier evening when he was following Sakura, "That woman from the Leaf Village, Sakura, was in Tatsumaki today. She was administering the vaccines for the virus to the villagers." At this point Gaara's eyes seemed to turn cold and hate filled, "There were some drunk ninja who were going to harm her. I did my part and killed them before she got hurt." The hate disappeared, "After that she stood around saying that she had to thank me for helping her. I told her that it was nothing to thank me for, after all our villages are allies. I started to leave… and that's when she came out of nowhere and 'kissed' me."

Kankuro tapped his fingers against the side of his cheek, analyzing Gaara's obviously eventful day. "Alright Gaara, from what you have told me, you saved Sakura's life. Or considerably extended it, but anyhow… It seems that – where did she kiss you?" Gaara made a lazy tap on his right cheek, "Alrighty then, phew. Close call. But um… yeah, the fact of the matter is that…… Sakura may have a thing for you Gaara."

Gaara didn't seem at all surprised, actually he didn't get it… "She could like you!" Kankuro repeated.

"Can't you go into a little more detail than that?" Gaara said. Kankuro leaned forward putting his head to the ground for a little while then getting up, "Gaara! Couldn't you have taken care of this before the Kazekage ordered your assassination?" Wrong answer. Next thing Kankuro could feel were sand spikes starting to poke through his clothes, with two extremely sharp one aiming at his eyes at eye level. "Okay Gaara, I can help you in any way you want. Sorry to disappoint at first. Heeeeh……

The sand spikes died down and Kankuro's tense half frozen body limped down to the ground, "Ooohh……okay. Where do I start? Alright… don't suppose you'll want to know about the miracle of birth, right?" Gaara's eyes narrowed as his sand began to crawl around Kankuro's knees again. "Okay, okay, let's deal with your problem. Okay… to be liked… is… oh! Think about your kanji!" Kankuro pointed at Gaara's forehead where the kanji symbol was formed in blood red.

"What about it?" Gaara looked up towards where it would be ((left side of forehead)).

"Well think about what it means to you. You have sworn to love yourself and fight for only yourself right?" Kankuro asked to make sure.

"That's the gist of it." Gaara confirmed. Kankuro leaned back and scratched the back of his head. "Right, so…… you think that you could kinda share that belief?" Kankuro's voice was calm, he knew this would confuse his younger brother.

Gaara's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"Could you love yourself and someone else? Fight for them? To protect them?" The sand at Kankuro's feet was retracting back into Gaara's gourd, he was thinking… trying to separate what made sense and what didn't. "You see the thing is that, Sakura could very well like you Gaara. Not that I don't see any reason not to, but this is the first time she has ever done that, right?"

"Yeah… what connection does this have to me?" Gaara crossed his arms and slightly looked at the floor.

"Well Gaara… think about what has happened recently. You haven't been able to think of anyone else but her this whole time right?" Gaara's head shot up… he had been thinking about her an irregular amount of time. "You could like her too. Maybe something stronger."

Gaara's head was troubled… having realized that no human being could ever love him for himself because himself included his Shukaku demon spirit, Gaara could barely understand how love was supposed to feel on the receiving end. Gaara remembered back to his childhood, all the pain that had turned him into what he was now… "Yashamaru did the same thing. How can I trust something that brings more pain?"

Kankuro leaned on his hands and looked up at the ceiling, "That's something that you'll have to figure out on your own Gaara. It does come down to a trust thing."

"Hmm… thank you, Kankuro. I think I'll go see Temari now." Gaara got up an headed for the window. One foot stepped out into the balcony and he stopped.

"Wait, Gaara!" Kankuro called to him.

"What is it?" Gaara didn't bother to turn his head, just listen.

"Be careful with this thing 'kay?" Kankuro held silent for a bit to see if Gaara would respond. Gaara stepped out again and jumped to the next rooftop and into the night.

"Temari must be where she always is nowadays. The Kazekage's office." Gaara ran all of the ideas through his head. _Love, liking, that kiss… what did she mean by it if she had already said thank you? Shukaku… you keep your mouth shut._

The Kazekage was the strongest Sand shinobi of the Hidden Sand Village. As bearer of this prestigious title, the person overlooked most of all the activities taking place in the Sand Village. The Kazekage's office had a large desk positioned next to the lookout that faced the rest of the village. The furniture had been moved around recently mostly by the Kazekage's choice of scenery, he didn't like it to be crowded with file cabinets and meaningless ornaments.

There was also a rather large and comfy chair that Temari liked to take advantage of. Temari was Gaara's older sister, adorned in a purple dress with a skirt that went down to just above her knees. Her hair was a fiery blonde with four pigtails that extended in 4 different directions. She gently snored as she slept in the Kazekage's chair, having been in there all day completing paperwork.

"Temari." A familiar voice called to Temari in her sleep. She immediately sprung up from her sleep and looked around for the person that called her name. She turned the chair around and saw Gaara standing on the balcony.

"Oh, hey Gaara. Do you know how late it is?" Temari stretched in the chair and rubbed her eyes awake.

Gaara eyeballed her and reminded her of her current position, "Do you know where you are sitting?" Temari inspected her surroundings and noticed that she was sitting in Gaara's chair.

"Oops! Heh, um, sorry." She rubbed the back of her head as she stood up and cleared Gaara's chair for him. It wasn't his intention to sit down any time soon, but he did mind that Temari was sitting there. ((a little possessive))

"Temari, I have a quick question to ask you about this Shikamaru person." Gaara stared bluntly as he held up a snapshot of Shikamaru that Temari usually kept in her room.

Temari's jaw dropped down in shock and snatched the picture out of Gaara's hand, "Gaara! What did I tell you about going through my journal?!"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "Journal, shmournal, I know it's a diary."

Temari blushed red in embarrassment and furry, but knew not to go against her brother, "Just what do you need to know that made you have to go into my room for this?" She didn't even know it, but she was being a little protective of the picture, if you call sliding the pic into your blouse "protective".

"What kind of feelings do you have for him?" Gaara asked seriously.

Temari was about to slip and fall but she held herself up with the desk, "Gaara!" Her face was turning redder by the second, "That's not something you ask me and expect a straight answer for." She stood up straight and stared down at the floor, twiddling her thumbs. "My feelings for him……"

"Simply put, how do you think about him? What makes you want to be with him?" Gaara was getting more personal with each question.

"How do I… that is… I just feel different around him. He's so annoying I feel like I should just slap that lazy smirk off his face!" Temari said almost annoyed.

"Hrrrr……" Gaara growled under his breath, talking to women, even his own sister made him inpatient.

"But…… other than that… I guess, I see through his plain and lazy side." Temari continued. Gaara's eyes widened, _Finally something important! _"That's what happens when you're in love. You see through the person's faults and mistakes and you see who they can really be. How sweet they are… and how smart… how hard they work to look out for you and others…"

Temari's rambling trailed off as she continued to fantasize about her infatuation. Gaara turned to leave, before she started saying something he would regret hearing, "Alright, Temari. Thank you." Gaara jumped off the balcony and began riding a wave of sand out of the village.

_So that's it… Sakura could like me in some way or another. If what Temari says makes sense then… its possible that Sakura is not frightened by me. My cold hearted ness… Hmm… She's the first person who I've ever thought about like this… _Gaara shrugged as he rode the sand into the forest and slowed it down to the ground where he started to walk… _My head still hurts. _

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Gaara had to speak with Sakura personally about this. Hence his decision was to go to Konoha on his own and look for her. The forests were vast and mazelike around Konoha. A normal trip through them would take about five days, but Gaara is very impatient so he won't waste all that time. Surviving off the fruits and occasional streams that he found while sand surfing through the forests and open fields, Gaara was able to make it to Konoha in 2 days and 2 nights. Morning peeked over the horizon and our insomniac Kazekage arrived at the Hidden Leaf Village in record time.

"Well now that I'm here, what do I do? I don't even know where Sakura is." Gaara said as he crossed his arms and walked by the front gate. The guards at the front entrance went wild eyed when they saw Gaara walking past them. One silent malevolent glare and Gaara warned them, "Mention my arrival to anyone and the both of you are going to die a most painful death." The guards kept their mouth's shut and leaned back staring suspiciously at Gaara.

Now where to start? Sakura could be anywhere, and Gaara had only been here once during the Chunnin Exams. Sure, he knew very well where Kakashi did his cliff climbing training and also the stadium and the old mansion where he "slept" during his nights in Konoha. Other than that though, Gaara was kinda lost.

A couple of kids passed by him as he walked down the Industrial District, there were also many stands where shop tenders provided produce for the local consumer, but it was still too early for them to be out yet.

Gaara continued to examine his surroundings. There was a park nearby, where the flowers began to open up to look for the sunlight. There were some trees and benches out there, along with a bridge that spanned over a stream that ran through the park. For some reason, when Gaara saw the bridge, a light shiver went up his spine… _Whoa… what was that? _He looked over at the bridge and tried to remember the feeling… but it was already gone, so he continued forward.

Gaara came upon a small restaurant type stand. Through the curtains he could see about 12 stools lined up next to a long counter. There was an irregularly pleasing smell coming from the stand, Gaara sniffed the air a few times to confirm the scent. "Ramen?" Gaara said out loud to himself.

"Only the best around here! Believe it!" A boisterous voice said from behind him. Oddly enough the voice and the phrase sounded like it came from someone that not even Gaara could forget.

Gaara slowly turned his head and looked out of the corner of his eye, "Naruto?"

The black and orange clad ninja let out a surprised laugh, "Ha ha hey! It's you Gaara! Good to see you!" Naruto ran up to Gaara and gave him a light pat on the head. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you around here! Whatcha' doin'?"

Before Gaara could answer, Naruto jumped to his own conclusion, for some reason though he seemed real dazed, "Wait wait, I know! You heard about Ichiraku's popularity over in the Sand Village and you decided to come see for yourself right?"

Again Gaara was about to answer, but Naruto jumped in, "Right! So come with me! I'll treat you to a bowl. Hey old man! Two bowls of ramen on the double! Please and thank you!" Naruto had grabbed Gaara by his sash and dragged him to the counter top and next to one of the stools. _Grr, Naruto as confusing as ever, whatever, I might as well eat something._

Gaara sat down and wringed his sash out of Naruto's hand. Naruto continued to hum to himself while he waited; he rocked his body back and forth like a playful child waiting for his meal. "Soo, Gaara. Whatcha' been up to lately? Found a girl that you like yet?"

Naruto's incessant swaying was followed by the sound of a thudding bottle on the floor. Naruto didn't notice but Gaara looked down to see what it was. It was an empty sake bottle. _Oh my gosh… he's drunk off his rocker._ Gaara leaned over to see Naruto's eyes; they were unfocused and misaligned. Gaara tried to hold him steady now that he knew he wasn't being his normal self. "Naruto what's up with you?"

"Oh… it's nothing much. Well… See I have this plan… it sounds really far fetched at first, but…" Naruto took a deep breath and nodded his head, "I think it'll really work. Here come here…" He wiggled his fingers to have Gaara lean in closer. He leaned, and Naruto whispered something into his ear……………Gaara leaned back again as the bowls of ramen slid to a stop in front of Naruto and himself. _Interesting… very interesting… to think that Naruto's actions would take him this far. _

"I'm just kind of out of it cause I don't know what the reaction will be… it will either be yes or no… I'm just worried… even though I know exactly how their mind works…" Naruto mixed the ramen a bit, and started eating it. Slowly at first, then he started slurping up in his usual manner.

Gaara was not really used to outside foods. His diet mostly contained **grains** and only some vegetables, but all in all he was as healthy as could be. "Well…" He stared down at the ramen soup, "…maybe this once." Gaara broke the chopsticks and leaned over the bowl, slurping up a good long string of ramen. _My gosh… this stuff is so… good, actually. _Gaara gladly partook of the meal and gulped it down. Once he was done, he wiped his mouth for any obscurities, then looked over at Naruto, who was already on his third bowl. _How much can this guy eat when he's like this? _

"Well Gaara, I'm sorry old buddy, but I'm gonna have to go. Still got a lot on my mind to sort out." Naruto set down his chopsticks and wheeled around in his stool before hoping off. Gaara remembered something and quickly called him back, "Naruto, wait! Do you know where Sakura may be?"

Naruto swerved around halfway and staggered a bit, "Oh Sakura? She went to the Wind Country. If you're in luck she usually gets a ride here and makes its back by…. I don't know evening or something, and then she hangs out by the bridge."

_Bingo!_ Gaara had what he needed. He watched Naruto stagger off a bit, then Naruto called out, "Oh yeah Gaara! I'm gonna leave you to pay the bill, kay? No hard feelings!"

Gaara slumped down and leaned on his elbow against the counter. _Heh, yeah right…_

Gaara's sand began to do his bidding as it scurried across the ground and into Naruto's pocket where it found his frog shaped coin bag. The sand emptied out almost all the money then placed the bag back in its owners pocket before he turned the corner and into the next street.

Gaara took whatever money he had 'borrowed' from Naruto and placed it on the counter, "Keep the change." Gaara wheeled around and off his stool and walked away.

_I know where I need to go, now I just have to wait. _Gaara retraced his steps and headed for the park. It was only dusk… so it was going to be a long day for him to wait.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, hours turned to da-….wait,

nevermind. Gaara patiently waited by a fountain in the park that he had seen earlier.

Throughout the day, he had seen many peculiar events happening throughout Konoha.

Iruka had arranged a field trip for his class to travel through the park, Ino had come by to collect some daisies from a private garden she had. Gaara occasionally recognized Gai and Lee handstand-walking backwards through the park. Neji had even passed by Gaara and given him a suspicious glare, but Gaara was busy staring at the bridge to respond to him. Neji went on his way and paid no mind to him.

Lunch time came around and Gaara caught a glimpse of Naruto and Hinata sharing a picnic by the stream. A smirk had come on Gaara's face when he saw them… he remembered what Naruto had told him this morning. He shook his head and led his attention back to the bridge.

The sun began to set and Gaara was as still as a gargoyle sitting by the fountain, his patience was wearing down… but for some reason he felt like he was willing to wait as long as possible. A ringing sound fell on Gaara's ears, which broke him out of his trance like state. He turned his head and saw Sakura stepping out of a 'man powered' cart that she must have ridden there from the Hokage's office.

She was no longer wearing her medical uniform; instead she sported her usual red Chinese dress top with her tight black pants under a short skirt, followed by her metal shin guards and sneakers.

Gaara swallowed his breath as he looked at her from his spot. He had never seen her look so beautiful. Her pink hair was lightly lifted by the winds, it wound up in front of her eyes; she brushed her hair aside and tucked it behind her ear. She straightened her clothes up next and Gaara took notice of her body and how perfect it looked to him… her noticeable curves were followed by his still half cold eyes…

Sakura made her way to the bridge as Naruto had mentioned. She tugged at one of the cherry blossoms that was dangling from a tree nearby, and stared at it almost lovingly as she cupped it in her hands. Sakura was looking down at the blossom when she heard the scrapping sound of sandals on pavement in front of her. Her head snapped up and looked towards the fountain… noone was there. She glanced around to make sure she was alone. After which, she continued towards the bridge.

From behind a tree Gaara continued to stalk his prey. Okay that's harsh, continued to look on towards Sakura's beauty as she walked by. Sakura began mumbling under her breath as she proceeded. Gaara tried to hear her, but she was inaudible to his acute ears. Gaara created a couple of hand seals and placed his hand over his right ear. "Third Ear Connected to the Auditory Nerve."

The sand creped along the ground and settled in a hidden area near Sakura, then it began to form itself into an ear that blended into the ground. Gaara listened closely as he completed the jutsu and closed his eyes… He then made another set of hand seals followed by, "Third Eye Connected to the Optic Nerve." On the other side of the tree a small eye, transfigured itself from the sand… Gaara carefully watched and listened to Sakura as she talked to herself.

"---- long has it been? Since I last saw you? Couldn't have been that long… I mean you are not that far away… you're in my heart… You can't get any closer than that unless you were actually here." Sakura went into an awkward silence as she plucked a petal off of the blossom she had picked earlier. She watched it drift to the water and then continued.

"You knew how I felt… you knew that I loved you with all my heart… I would do anything for you." she walked to the other side f the bridge, "What went wrong when we first met? What made you hate me so? What made you hate everyone? You even attacked me once. That wasn't very nice. But in the end… you were there for me." She paused as she paced and dropped another petal in the water.

"Listen to me now… I'm just reminiscing again. But that's all I can do… remember how I felt when you were around. Even though it always seemed like you had those dark, cold eyes. I brought out the light in them. I inwardly always wanted you to be with me. I don't know why. It is still just a strong crush…" She looked up at the moon and plucked another petal…

"No… more than that. I'm in love with you. I've always been in love with you. I can't hide it from myself. I don't want to hide it from you…"

Gaara heard something in front of him; his eyes split open and stared into the now dark night only lit by the full moon. Noone was there. But Gaara heard Sakura speak again.

"Huh? Who's there? Show yourself!" She had dropped the blossom on the bridge as she reached for her black gloves, from her back pocket. Gaara's body stiffened a bit but then relaxed, convinced that he had been caught. He stepped over his foot and saw his arm begin to shine in the moonlight as he came out from behind the tree.

Sakura suddenly gasped, "Sasuke!!"

Gaara froze halfway then snapped back behind the tree, **_WHAT?_**

To be continued…

**Kiraichi: **Dan dan dun! Heh heh. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Gaara's blood ran cold. His eyes strained and bulged as the demon inside of him shook itself free from his container's control. He panted heavily as he felt the sweat drip from his head… _Uchiha?_ Gaara's body shook, and shuddered, but he kept his body under control just enough to pay attention to what was transpiring. His jutsu were still in effect, he closed his eyes and listened…

Sasuke was standing on the side of the bridge opposite of Sakura, whose body was frozen in disbelief. He had a white musketeer shirt on; it was unbuttoned from the top down until his chest came into view. He had of course gotten taller in the last 3 years and he no longer had the short white pants that he wore as a genin. Now he had black pants that went down to roughly his ankles, followed by a pair of purple clik-clok sandals. His hair still had the same style, long, a raven black shade, two long bangs hanging in front of his face. His eyes… still cold… black… had he conquered his goals as an Avenger? Who knows…?

Sakura stepped forward, "Sasuke…I… you…"

Sasuke stood still, never blinking, barely moving except for a wind that blew his hair in his face.

Sakura stopped in midstep and bit her lip, "Sasuke… you aren't here to see me are you?"

Sasuke did not respond.

Sakura's eyes had tears forming inside them, she blinked and her wet eyes reflected the moonlight from her jade pupils, "You came back to talk to Tsunade or something, right? Maybe she'll let you come back and live somewhere. Or maybe you wanna see Naruto and knock him out for being such a dope…" a tear slid down her cheek, "… hey look, I'm crying again… Sasuke… this annoyed you didn't it?" The kunoichi bit her lip as her voice trembled, more silent tears flowing from her eyes.

Sakura turned around and shut her eyes as tight as she could, "Stop me Sasuke… stop me… I don't want to annoy you again…" her voice shook as she gritted her teeth, "Knock me out Sasuke!! Do it! Or I'll scream like I said I would have 3 years ago!" Sakura prepared for the worst… there was only silence.

"…-sob-…-sob-… SASU-!!" A firm hand came from behind her and covered her mouth before she could scream out loud to the world all of the sorrow in her heart. Sakura's eyes widened as a silent deep voice behind her said, "Just hold still…"

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around Sakura's shoulders and held her close from behind. Sakura stared in shock as Sasuke took her in his warm embrace. He was so tall, her head rested between the base of his neck and his shoulder. She had never felt so warm in her life, to be in Sasuke's arms… such a dream that Sakura thought would never come true.

Sasuke lowered his head next to Sakura's ear and whispered to her gently… "Don't speak. Just listen. I didn't come here to see Tsunade. I didn't come here to kill Naruto…… and I especially… did not come here to see you…" Sakura's heart stopped for that second, "… cry."

Sakura's took a deep breath as one of Sasuke's arms wrapped around her waist. "And you're wrong… I came here for you. I came here to tell you that… it's over."

Sakura turned her head to see Sasuke's face, "You mean…"

Sasuke lightly nodded his head, "From this day forth, my mission as an Avenger is complete."

Sakura's breath caught in her throat, she raised her arms and hugged Sasuke's arm that was wrapped around her neck, "Sasuke…"

"Sakura… did you really mean everything you said? Back then?" Sasuke's gaze dropped down to Sakura's watery eyes.

Sakura lowered her head and stare blindly to the side to avoid his glare, she blushed a light red, "Yes… with all my heart."

Sasuke led his hand to her chin and raised her head to his. She was only inches away from him as he spoke, "And just now?" Sakura blushed even redder, her heart beat faster and faster every second Sasuke held her in his arms, "……yes. I –…" Sakura was silenced before she could finish by Sasuke's warm lips as he leaned his head and kissed her.

Sakura instantly melted into his kiss, her arms went limp and laid at her sides, her body submitted to her lover's touch and she could feel her body falling from under her; Sasuke held her up though. Sasuke's kiss continued in smaller waves from the first, as he parted from her to breath only occasionally, but he continued to pull her closer as his lips repeatedly touched her's. Eventually his kisses led him down her face, across her cheek and down to her neck. Sakura could not help but silently let out cute moans as he nuzzled her neck and breathe his hot breath against her neck.

"Sasuke…" Sakura said, "…I love you."

Sasuke halted and rested his neck on her shoulder, Sakura made a small coo as she noticed that he stopped… he spoke gingerly and with a caring tone in his voice that Sakura thought could never be possible in the Sasuke she knew. "I know Sakura… I know…"

Sasuke released Sakura from his arms and turned her towards him. He looked into her sweet eyes and she looked back… the coldness was gone.

"I love you too…" Sasuke said. Sakura's eyes welled up with tears and she sobbed into his shirt, her tears of joy flowed out of her, and Sasuke held her close, laying his hand on her head and tucking her closer to his body.

The image of Sasuke and Sakura seems vague for some reason… the sand ear and sand eye fall apart… there is only silence now…

Could there be a darker feeling than the one that envelopes the heart when it is about to break? Gaara stood still… frozen. He kept his eyes closed and his fists clenched. He felt Shukaku pushing him, maybe further off the edge than he had ever been before… but Gaara contained him… He opened his eyes that held the malice in his heart, there were no such things as tears to him, his heart now only knew anger… He stepped out from the shadow and walked away, back towards the entrance gate. As he walked, he began to think inside his mind, _Of course… who could ever love a demon like me? Who could fall in love with a being that only knows death? How could I let myself fall so far……………in love……?_

To be continued…

**Kiraichi: **Wait wait wait! Don't lose your taste in the fan fic now! I know that this may be unexpected, especially from this fan fic, but it's actually leading up to something okay? So pleeeeaaase bear with me and continue reading when I update it again. Thanks to all my readers.


	5. Chapter 5

Gaara trudged through Konoha as he tried to erase the memories of what he had just seen. Every time that Sasuke spoke, he felt Shukaku eating at away at him. As Sakura began to cry, Gaara felt her tears as they rolled down her face. The fact that Sasuke had made her feel so much sorrow for the last 3 years, made him sick inside.

And when he touched her… got closer to her… Gaara had to restrain himself from coming out of hiding and crushing Sasuke with his bare hands. After that, Sakura seemed to melt into his arms; _Obviously…she wanted him to touch her… _

Affection… love… that is what Sakura had expressed for Sasuke this night. Gaara thought it through; what Kankuro had told him, the way that Temari reacted to her thoughts of her beloved, Sakura's words, Sasuke's effect on her… they way she thought of him… she loved him. _And so… _Gaara had come to the village gate; he looked up and saw how tall it was as he looked into the nigh sky. _She could not possibly feel for me, the same way I have come to feel for her._

He pushed his hand forward and opened the gate. He steeped outside and closed the gate, hoping that he had left all of the pain behind… but as we all know… not all memories are buried so easily. He turned around and came face to face with the source of his pain… the trigger to his cannon of rage.

"Gaara… I never thought I'd see you around here." The dark figure spoke.

"I don't plan to stay any longer. Get out of my way… before I crush you." Gaara's eyes narrowed in on his target. The wind blew past them, but then an irregular gust blew in the opposite direction.

"You're in no position to make threats Gaara. Just what were you doing here?" The figure had no intention of letting Gaara pass any time soon, he slid his hands in his pockets and waited for a response.

Gaara's sand began to move… but not in its usual fashion. It shifted and turned inside his gourd, the quark popped out and it started leaking all over the ground. "With the mood I'm in, I will gladly destroy you and Konoha! So get out of my way…" The figure came into the moonlight, "…Uchiha!!"

True enough, Sasuke stood barely 15 feet away from the Sand ninja, he took a fighting stance and glared at his opponent, "Thanks for the threat, now I have a reason to kill you."

Gaara's demon blood came to a boil, "You can try."

In the next instant, Sasuke had disappeared as he ran at Gaara. Gaara's sand acted on instinct and shielded him from behind when Sasuke reappeared and tried to punch him in the back of the head. Sasuke let out a smirk as he slid past Gaara's sand and flashed in front of him fast enough to deliver a straight punch that hurled Gaara to the ground creating several cracks in his Sand Armor.

Sasuke straightened up and cracked his knuckles, "Gladly."

Gaara looked back up with a glare and jolted his fist up in a sorry attempt to hit Sasuke from 6 feet away.

"Hmph, is that all you can to do?" Sasuke caught Gaara's eyes twitch, and suddenly met with a sand fist that was 10 times the normal size of regular fast. Sasuke spun in the air and crashed into the dirt as Gaara's sand fell back to the ground by its master's command.

Sasuke struggled some to get up and looked down in horror as Gaara's sand suddenly grabbed his legs and consumed his entire body. Sasuke grunted as the Sand Coffin was completely sealed around his body. Gaara then struck out his hand and tilted it slightly; a bloodlust was in his eyes, "Sand Burial!!" Gaara clenched his fist thereby crushing Sasuke within his Sand Coffin.

Contrary to Gaara's expectations though, he did not see any blood oozing from the Uchiha's corpse. The sand quickly moved out of the way to reveal a log! "A substitution!" Gaara quickly looked around to find Sasuke but he couldn't see him.

All of a sudden, Gaara heard the oddly familiar sound of birds, "Not at this time of night! Sasuke!"

"Raaaaaaaahhhhhh!!" Sasuke leapt down from a tree 20 feet behind Gaara, Chidori sparkling in his hand. Sasuke rammed his hand to the ground and the force of his chakra created a huge crater wherever his arm went. Sasuke ran at Gaara at top speed and had the killer instinct in his eyes that made him an Avenger, his Sharingan eyes spun wildly as he cornered Gaara with his Jutsu.

Gaara wasted no time in making a line of hand seals followed by his hands rising gradually into the air as if lifting something in midair, "Last Absolute Defense: Shield of Shukaku!"

Sand and minerals rose out of the ground and began forming a toy-like replica of Shukaku. Combined with Gaara's chakra, this shield would be virtually indestructible! Sasuke was convinced that his Chidori could break through the "Absolute Defense", so he continued and thrust his hand into the sand shield, some of it being crushed by the initial damage of Sasuke's Chidori.

The Shukaku doll engulfed Sasuke's hand and even began to look like a jack o lantern as the Chidori rattled inside of its thick sand body. Sasuke grinned as he watched Gaara getting closer and closer to his Chidori and not moving an inch. Suddenly, he felt his hand stop. His face went into full shock as he felt his chakra diminishing, "What? No!" Sasuke struggled to get his hand out when he noticed that the doll was becoming wet and soggy. He turned his attention to Gaara who had just finished making a hand seal.

"Quicksand Waterfall!" The Shukaku Defense along with more sand from the ground reached up into the sky and surrounded Sasuke, closing off any means of escape. Sasuke tugged and tore at his arm to get out of the remaining form of the doll, which now looked like a Gaara sand clone. His eyes stared wildly around him as the sand began to fall around him; he raised his hand into the air and yelled, "Thousand Bird Current!" His body was encircled by electricity just as the sand came down and drowned him.

The waterfall covered a rather large area as it settled, but there was no sign of Sasuke. Gaara walked atop the field of sand that he created and searched tentatively for his prey. The sand shifted as Sasuke 'swam' to the surface in a way. Pulling himself out of the sand pit, he spat and gagged out as much sand and blood as he could. Even though he had done his Thousand Bird Current to defend him, the pressure underneath meters of sand was too much. Sasuke kneeled over and expelled the sand from his stomach; he had accidentally swallowed some due to its watery form.

A shadow soon loomed over him, he turned slightly to behold Gaara's growling face. "Uchiha………will you die in peace?" The sand around Sasuke's body swiftly grabbed him and sealed him once more in the Sand Coffin. Sasuke could barely concentrate as it was, spitting out more blood and sand as the coffin squeezed him. The sand stood Sasuke up and placed him in front of Gaara, who stared emotionlessly into his face.

"Burn and die, Gaara –gag-." Sasuke defiantly said.

Gaara's eyes widened as he commanded the coffin to get tighter and tighter around Sasuke's body. The Uchiha felt his life fading, the coffin threatened to suffocate him. With his last bit of breath he etched out… "S-Sakura." His eyes rolled into his head as he lost consciousness.

Gaara's eyes froze, "Sakura?" The sand coffin immediately collapsed and Sasuke's body fell on the ground. Gaara gripped his head again, and ran his hands through his red hair. _Uhh… what's wrong with me…? This isn't Shukaku! It's something else… But what?!_

An image of Sakura ran through Gaara's mind. Gaara's eyes and face strained themselves until he finally stopped and held still… _Sakura… if I kill Sasuke, I'll only cause you more pain and suffering won't I? Is this, what it's like to care? To stop yourself from doing something that will hurt someone you hold dear? _Gaara looked down at Sasuke and looked away, _He has suffered enough. And so has Sakura. I won't be responsible for her tears the way he is._

With that Gaara turned and left the unconscious Uchiha lying in the sand. Gaara walked nearly into the forest when a kunai suddenly landed in front of him. _Impossible! He is nearly dead! He can't-! _Gaara turned around to find that Sasuke was still on the ground, but further behind him Sakura stood with three kunai in her right hand.

With a stern look she faced him down, "Don't move a muscle."

TO BE CONTINUED…

**Kiraichi: **A special thank you to all of the people who have been reading and reviewing on my fan fic! Thank you ssooooo much! –bow- to all! The story is about to wrap up so stay tuned. Ha ha ha!! –thumbs up and ching-


	6. Chapter 6

Gaara stared in disbelief as he looked across the battlefield to see the source of his feelings glaring at him with kunai in hand. Sakura raised her arms across her body. Taking careful aim at Gaara, she transferred one kunai to her left hand and threw them at her target adding a precise spin to them. The kunai flew around in circles covering the circumference around Gaara's body.

Sakura then pulled on her fingers, which revealed a silver line extending from her hands and to the kunai. The projectiles closed themselves up and trapped Gaara in a wire coffin of his own. Gaara tried to move but the wires were already tight enough to crack his Sand Armor, so he didn't risk it. His chakra running dangerously low, he did not bother commanding his sand.

He watched attentively as Sakura walked towards Sasuke and knelt down to heal him. _(sigh) She really does care about him… _Gaara looked on as Sakura placed her hands around Sasuke's stomach and swirled it around.

Capturing whatever foreign material was inside of him, including blood from internal wounds, Sakura moved her hand up to his throat and pulled back her hand as if taking something out. Sasuke immediately gagged out the last of the blood and sand that had been accumulating in his body. Sasuke proceeded by breathing softly but still unconscious.

Once done with her healing practice, Sakura stood up and faced Gaara who had been patiently looking over her shoulder. "Gaara… it's no secret that you did this. Why… I guess is a different story." Sakura walked up to Gaara her fists tightening.

"Now I have two options on how to deal with you. I could kill you." Sakura cracked her knuckles, Gaara showed no response.

"Or I could punch your lights out and you could peacefully wake up in the nearest hospital with, hee hee, me as your nurse." To Gaara the second choice was more tasteful but he noticed an evil tone in her voice in the second part. Maybe not the best choice either.

"Don't suppose there's an option that doesn't end with me in a fatal position." Gaara said bluntly.

Sakura smirked, as she slipped her black gloves on, "Nope."

"Fine, whatever. I just wanna get out of here. There's nothing for me to do here anyway." Gaara closed his eyes and waited.

Sakura came closer and measured her target, "Man and after I was kind enough to go help out the Wind Country with the vaccines, and you come here with no intention other than to hurt Sasuke. You make me sick." She pulled her arm back and aimed.

Gaara scoffed, "Hmph, like I came here for him. I actually came looking for you."

Sakura's fist stilled only momentarily then she continued to pull back, "Oh yeah? What for?"

"I was going to say that I liked you, but that's kinda pointless to you, so what?"

Sakura blinked, "Eh?"

Sakura's fist lunged forward and slammed on top of Gaara's head, but unexpectedly in an angled trajectory. "Ow." Gaara's head shook and wobbled in place, his Sand Armor cracked across his face from ear to ear and chips flew off. _That was… weak…I though she was stronger after I saw her punch the drunk in the face… _Gaara slowly opened one of his eyes and looked at Sakura who had turned around slightly bent over. _What the?_

"G- Ga-Gaara! What are you talking about? Where did that come from??" Sakura crouched down and hid her red face from Gaara's point of view, twiddling her fingers. After a couple of moments she stood up again and faced Gaara with unusually large eyes, "Oh! I get it! You said that to distract me! And it worked, so this punch is really going to hurt!"

"Whatever." Gaara looked away to point his cracked cheek at her.

Sakura pulled back and stopped, "You weren't serious were you? I mean….um…"

She stared at Gaara as he looked away, his face may have been covered by sand, hiding as much of his emotions as possible, but she could tell a 'truth' face from a 'lying' face.

"See this is the kind of thing that gets you hurt!" Sakura's face turned red again as she threw an embarrassed punch into Gaara's face.

"Ow." Gaara said again lazily, more of his armor breaking off. He looked at her again and noticed the red shade of her face. "What's wrong? Put force into it."

"Gaara, you're being really confusing so this is really confusing for me too!" Sakura pulled her fist back for a third punch, she paused. "When did this come about anyway?"

Gaara turned away again, "At Tatsumaki. When you left."

"When I…" Sakura stuttered a bit then remembered that she had kissed Gaara in the cheek before she left. "Oh, um….um, that. Hmm…" Sakura lowered her fist and fidgeted with her hands, "You thought that…" Sakura looked at Gaara's pained expression while turned to the side; through the cracks she could see his real skin. His **real** skin. Sakura looked stunned for a moment and then smiled, her fists finally loosening up.

"Gaara… that's…um…" She had trouble hiding her blushing cheeks, "really sweet. You came all this way… to see me then?"

Gaara nodded, "What of it?"

Gaara then felt a warm hand around his jaw that turned him forward again, his eyes meeting with Sakura's caring jade green eyes. Gaara could barely believe that they sparkled so beautifully in the moonlight.

"Gaara… I know what you must be thinking. And you know… that I can't return your feelings completely. But I'll admit it to you, that I had a strange impulse that day, to do that to you. For some reason I had to do that." Sakura had lost her threatening presence and changed to someone truly angelic in Gaara's eyes. He didn't even bother to blink as Sakura spoke, or risk losing a glimpse of any emotion in her face.

"Sakura... When I saw you and Sasuke…" Sakura blinked discovering that Gaara had actually seen her with Sasuke at the bridge, "my world felt like it fell apart. I was angry, Uchiha attacked me and I gladly fought --."

Sakura placed a finger over his lips and silenced him. "Thank you for not killing him, Gaara. I understand that in such wild rage, you may have done something permanent to him. Thank you… for letting him live."

Gaara nodded and offered no response until he noticed that his arms were falling asleep. "Do you think you can let me go now?"

Sakura grinned mischievously, "Not yet." Gaara growled in his throat. He saw Sakura's hand raise itself up to his head and she curled her fingers into a flicking position. Gaara closed his eyes ready to feel some sort of pain. Sakura lightly flicked Gaara's forehead; at first nothing happened, but then Gaara's Sand Armor on his face split and collapsed to the ground. Gaara's exposed face felt the cold breeze of the night blow against him.

"What the?" Gaara felt almost naked without his face under sand, he looked at Sakura and noticed her smile at him.

"You know… the last time I kissed you the sand got in my way and left a weird taste in my mouth for hours." She leaned forward slightly closing the gap between her face and his. "Maybe this time it'll be more pleasant."

Gaara swallowed as Sakura came closer and closer finally kissing him on the lips. Her soft lips intoxicated Gaara's senses. At first his eyelids would not close, being stunned significantly by Sakura's sudden movements. Shedding his armor had an advantage as this time Gaara could actually feel what Sakura was doing; her soft lips, the wet feeling they had on them, the way his lips felt in comparison. Gaara's lips quivered a bit, but he eventually accustomed himself to the feeling and kissed her back. Sakura smiled inwardly having felt Gaara's response.

She parted her lips and breathed a little faster than usual; she looked at Gaara's face and couldn't help giggling to herself. "Gaara… your face is red."

Gaara didn't really know what she meant but he gave her a small seemingly forced smile. "That was… nice."

Sakura began to undo the wires, "Let's keep this between us okay? Now we have a little secret that only you and I know." With a snap from cutting the wire, Gaara's body was freed showing numerous cracked all over his arms. Gaara moved a bit to get feeling back into his body then he looked at Sakura again.

"Right… between us." Gaara felt his sand armor forming around his face again. _Oh well, guess I won't feel like that again._ Gaara saw Sasuke beginning to turn in his sleep, "I had better leave before he wakes up."

Sakura looked behind her when she heard Sasuke grunting, "Yeah, or I'll have to explain too much." She turned back and Gaara was already leaving. "Wait!"

Gaara stopped and turned into Sakura's embrace as she hugged him good-bye. "I'll see you around. And please take care."

Gaara stood still and inevitably wrapped his arms around her in his own hug, "Be safe. And come by sometime."

Sakura nodded her head, "Absolutely. Wouldn't miss a chance if I tried." She let go of Gaara and smiled one more time.

Gaara stared into her smile. It was a sight he would surely not forget. He smirked back and turned around summoning a wave of sand to carry him away. Into the dark night he faded knowing that he had found someone who cared about him deeply.

Sasuke began to rouse from his sleep, he leaned forward and held his stomach as he sat up. "Uuhh… lousy Gaara. When I get my hands on him I'll—hmm?" Sasuke looked up and saw Sakura standing some feet away looking up at the moon. "Sakura?" Sasuke struggled to get up and finally stood beside her.

"Sakura? What's wrong?" Sasuke asked curiously.

Sakura looked to her side and she hugged him tightly, "You're okay!" Sasuke looked slightly surprised but then placed his arm around her shoulder, "Yeah… I'm fine. But what are you doing here? Gaara was here! Did you see where he went?"

Sakura held onto his arm and shook her head, "Nope… I didn't see him. But you were pretty banged up when I found you."

Sasuke turned away, pouting at the thought that he had lost to Gaara……..again. _Da…_ Sakura giggled and pulled him closer.

Her eyes led her up to the moon again, _I'll see you around. Kazekage Gaara…_

A warm feeling fell around Gaara's shoulders as he rode his sand across the fields. He could still feel Sakura's embrace around him, _Sakura… until we meet again._

Gaara understood his emotions a little better now; he knew that love could be a powerful ally, or maybe a cruel mistress. Though all in all, the experience was one neither of them would ever forget.

THE END.

**Kiraichi:** Woot woot! Finally done! I feel all warm inside, myself. Oh wait, that's because I'm wearing a sweater. Anywho! I really hope all of my readers enjoyed this fan fic, I wonder what Gaara really looks like under the sand armor… probably the same. Darn. I've got some more ideas underway for more stories, but they are still underway. Hooray for Gaara and Sakura! ((holds up a little flag for Sasuke)) And may Sasuke not hurt Sakura again. Booyaka! Review and recommend, ladies and gentlemen, good day to you all!


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